Queen Lizzie and Prince Will

Claire and R had arranged in advance for their children in to stay with us for a week following the Bear Lake vacation.  They had some projects they wanted to get done around the house and they also wanted to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary.
Rick and I had Lizzie and Will  for eight days and enjoyed every minute of it.  With the help of the younger Lindley girls Kelsi and Alysa (who tended them for four hours a day while I went to work), Andy and Chelsea and Jordan and Jake for one morning, we managed to cover all the bases.  In those eight days, they went to Chuck E Cheese twice, the Children's museum of Natural Curiosity twice, the Provo Rec Center pools, the Provo employees summer picnic, on a hike, to the Kangaroo Zoo jump place, swam in the Cherry Village pool every day, visited Grandma Pat and jumped in her tramp, had a picnic, and played with all the retro toys I still have in my playroom from their mom's younger days.

We read stories, told stories, sang songs, played in the swings, made home-made play dough, went to the playground, went to church and to their own classes without protest, napped, laughed, cried a few times and watched some Disney movies and Curious George.  We even had a visit from the Police when Will locked himself in my car inside the garage, along with my purse and the keys to the car!  Luckily, the officer saved the day and got the car door opened.
They both have such darling personalities and it was so fun us to spend some one-on-one time with them and get to know them better.  Will called me Gamma Vonnie and Rick Gampa Ricky.  In a prayer Lizzie offered before they left, she prayed that they wouldn't cry when they said goodbye!  We love our little Queen Lizzie and Prince Will and look forward to spending more time with them next summer. They were very brave to be away from their mommy and daddy for a week, but somehow I think we managed to keep them busy so they didn't miss their home too much.

Bear Lake family vacation

It's been a busy three weeks.  We've been on the go and have had some wonderful family times.  Jordan and Jake and family arrived on Friday night, July 25 and Claire and Rich and kids arrive the following Saturday night.  Jord and Jake hosted a fun party that Saturday afternoon and invited all their family and friends in the area who have been so supportive of them through the last several months since Jake was diagnosed with cancer.  They loved seeing everyone who could attend and we enjoyed eating Fat Boys and other ice cream treats while the kids played on our swings and in the park behind our home.  R&C arrived in time to enjoy the festivities and then we hosted a BBQ with our dear family friends the Philipps.  Most of their family members were able to attend and it was so fun to catch up and just be together!  Our kids love their kids and they stay in contact and encourage one another through life's ups and downs.  The children all enjoyed playing together and the next generation of friendships were strengthened. They are friends who are family.

Sunday, the 27th, we attended church at Andy and Chelsea's ward and then headed to Logan.  Mom hosted a fun picnic in her pavilion and we enjoyed seeing Carol and Robert and their kids (Matt who has home on leave from the Navy) Mary Ann, niece Jamie and her family, and my uncle Clair and aunt Marilyn.  It was great to visit with them  all.  We then headed to the Lindley cabin at Bear Lake and got settled in for several days of fun.

This lovely assortment of senior pictures hangs in my
mother's home.  Our grandkids got a real kick
out of it and couldn't tell who I was.
 What??  I look exactly the same.  

Monday was boating on the lake, jet skis, water skiing, wake boarding and tube pulling.  The great-grandmas Pat and Mary enjoyed the boat rides and watching everyone have a good time.  Chelsea was a great boat driver and everyone got some time to try out all the different modes of water fun. That evening we had a girls night out and went to the Pickelville theater to watch a theater production of Beauty and the Beast.  The four little girls had an especially great time, but the three older girls really enjoyed it too. 

Tuesday we had planned to go to Minnetonka Cave on a hike, but it was raining, so we ended up spending the day on the 4 wheelers and the four passenger dirt buggie. Rich's dad Richard came up for lunch with Diane (mom's step-daughter) and we all had a great time.  There was much mud all over everything and everyone, but we cleaned up afterward and had a very fun time.  Again, the great-grandmas joined in and really had fun.  Andy and Chelsea had to head home to attend summer classes they were taking that evening.

Wednesday we had planned to travel around to the north shore of the lake, but again we were diverted because of rain.  We ended up watching movies and putting puzzles together and playing games.  Mary Ann and Lindsey came up and visited and brought a fun activity for the girls.  It was so sweet of them to come for a visit and see Jord and Claire and their families.  We also drove over to the east side of the lake and visited Romney Roost where we spent many fun summers with Rick's family.  It was fun for the kids to see their OLD stomping grounds.  It was like going into a time machine..nothing changes.

Rich, Claire, Jake and Rick played tennis most mornings and really enjoyed themselves.  The kids played like crazy out on the deck and produced several "shows" for us to see, complete with tickets, seating and a chance to shake hands with the actors afterwards. I had planned the meals in advance and we brought up all the food from home.  Everyone was assigned a meal to prepare, serve and clean up and that worked out great.  We didn't go hungry!

Thursday, we started to clean up and take one last ride on the dirty buggie, one last swim at the lake and one last game of tennis.  We got out at about 1:00.  J&J headed to a family reunion in Wyoming, Rich and Claire to a cousin's wedding in Mapleton, and Rick and I dropped Mom off in Logan before heading home.

It was such a fun vacation!  It was such a happy, hopeful, carefree time together.  We missed having Dave and Courtney, Charlie and Margaret with us. We appreciated the generosity of the Lindley family in letting us use their beautiful cabin.  It had EVERYTHING we needed and had space for everyone to sleep well.  Our kids voted to do this vacation again soon.  I think we will!